You can injure the meniscus tissue in your knee with any knee injury, and may have recurrent episodes of knee pain and swelling up to months after the initial injury. It is important to recognize such an injury and get it checked, because some people will actually benefit from a surgical procedure to fix the issue.

 

WHAT IS THE MENISCUS?

 

The meniscus refers to a semicircular piece of cartilage in your knee. Everyone has 2 of them in each knee. They act as shock absorbers in the knee, and help protect your knee cartilage from injury when you do high-impact sporting activities, like running, and jumping. They also help your knee bones to move smoothly on one another as you bend and straighten your knee.

​

WHAT CAUSES A

MENISCUS INJURY?

 

You can tear your meniscus if you twist your knee, or fall on it. This injury is more common in athletes because of the sudden stops and pivoting they do when they sprint around. 

​

As you age, you can also have degenerate tears in your meniscus. This is slightly different because you may not have a significant single event that triggered knee pain and swelling, but rather just recurrent episodes of knee pain and swelling, especially after walking or jogging for a prolonged period.

​

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE

A MENISCUS INJURY?

 

You'll have knee pain and swelling, usually starting shortly after the knee injury. The symptoms may settle down after a period of rest, but may actually recur in the following weeks and months.

​

HOW DO I GET

THIS CHECKED?

 

You should consider seeing a doctor if you had a twisting knee injury or a fall, followed by knee pain and swelling.

 

If there isn't any fracture (broken bone) in your knee due to the injury, but your pain is persistent, your doctor can refer you on to see a surgeon, who may want to perform an MRI scan.

​

An MRI scan really is currently the best way to check for a meniscus injury, since it'll show the cartilage in your knee, if there is any tear in either meniscus in the affected knee, and the size and nature of any tears.

​

WHAT CAN I DO?

 

The most important thing with a knee meniscus injury is to identify the problem, and see how severe it is. This is because a small tear in certain areas of the meniscus may actually not cause much issue, but a large tear may cause recurrent knee pain that can hinder your daily activity, and can actually get worse with time.

​

So if you have a knee injury followed by knee pain and swelling, try to see a doctor to get it checked soon. Try and minimise the walking and leg exercises you do as well, until you either recover, or have your knee checked.

 

During the initial period, you can manage your knee pain and swelling by resting your knee - don't do any strenuous leg exercises, and try to stay off your feet. You can apply an ice pack to your knee to bring down the inflammation and swelling - just wrap a cold pack in a towel and apply it to your knee for 15 to 30 minute periods.

 

Some anti-inflammatory medications are also helpful - your doctor can prescribe you some if you aren't allergic to them.

 

DO I NEED AN OPERATION?

 

If you do have a tear in your meniscus, some people will actually benefit from having a knee scope surgery. The surgeon will usually 'clean up' the meniscus tear using some special tools, and that helps you manage your pain a lot better. Due to the blood supply to the meniscus, some tears do not heal on their own, so the frayed edges need to be neatened up so they do not cause episodes of knee pain.

​

Some kinds of tears are actually amenable to being repaired surgically, but this does depend on several things like how big the tear is and which part of the meniscus it is in. Just ask your surgeon if you need a surgery! 

​

WRAP IT UP!

 

A knee meniscus injury can happen with any knee twisting injury, or a hard impact to your knee. If you get recurrent knee pain and swelling following such an injury, get it checked soon!